Faces in the rock
December 21st, 2008 by Dan Bodenstein
Wooden Bridge
Last year my wife and I visited a local attraction called Morikami Japanese Gardens. It is a series of Japanese gardens along a trail and is a very beautiful and tranquil walk. The area contains many different types of gardens, from a bamboo grove to a wide variety of rock gardens. Each garden area is accompanied by a sign indicating the era the garden was most prevalent in.
Along the way, we came across an elderly man who was just sitting on a bench, with an old “film” camera on a nearby tripod. I thought nothing of it was we walked past the early Manchurian rock garden he was in front of. The path looped back forcing us to encounter this man again. Together we starred at the rock garden. It was called a”Dry Garden”. Several rocks were scattered around and a large pool of pebbles simulated water. One area simulated a waterfall, without the water. It was clear that this style of rock garden was design to spark imagination through meditation. Although it was a very intriguing setup, we were still curious about the elderly man.
My wife finally asked him what he was doing, and he replied “Waiting.” Waiting? Waiting for what? The man explained that he was waiting for the sun to align in the sky in a specific point that would show the face her was looking for. Wait, a face? We looked at the rocks and their formation, but didn’t see it in the shape of a face. The man proceeded to tell us how every day he comes to the gardens to take photos of the faces in the rocks. He showed us countless photos that he had taken over the past year. He pointed out how the cracks, shapes, divots, scratches, and chips in the rocks form faces. It was like seeing one of those Magic Eye posters for the first time. He pointed to a nearby rock. “See the face?” We starred at the rock, then finally… saw the face. This was amazing.
I have read where Native American’s believe everything has a spirit, including rocks and trees. The more we looked, the more faces we saw. If this was a Jim Henson production, those rocks would be talking by now. We spent the rest of the day, my wife and I, pointing out faces in rocks, and trees to each other. It was an interesting experience.
Today my wife and I returned to Morikami to walk though their enlightened gardens, and to find the faces in the rock. Below are some photos of Morikami gardens, and the faces we found. You don’t need to go anywhere special to see the faces in the rock. With the right lighting, and the right angles…every rock has a face.
Morikami Japanese Gardens
Zen Garden
Bamboo Grove
Grumpy Face
Grimace
Baboon Face
You can see more of my photos from Morikami, and more faces in my gallery.
Keep your eyes and your mind, wide open.
Comments
I really loved this post. Very inspiring and picturesque, wish you all success!
This was a post worth waiting for, Dan! The peace and tranquility of the gardens, as well as the wisdom of the rock faces have shone through in your storytelling and photography. I really enjoyed this post.
I love Japanese garden, then Zen concept. Your photography is truly an inspiring work of arts. Good job.
This are some really great pics. Wanna go there to..
Keep going, I’m staying tuned.
Truly enjoyed reading about the Rock Garden. Your Photographs are fabulous.
I’ve always had a problem trying to view abstract concepts in inanimate objects, but these pictures… I can really see it now!
Yes i agree that photographer is really expert and have knowledge to extract the beauty from image.
Wow, I just love Japanese gardens, they’re so beautiful. Nice photographs too.
Great stuff! Great making of a photo!
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